ONGWEDIVA – The dry spell in the north continues to exact a heavy toll on crops in a number of constituencies and villages, with many people starting to feel the pinch already.
In fact, some farmers have already stopped cultivating, while others have left their free-range chickens to feed on the stunted and drying mahangu stalks in their fields. Most subsistence crop farmers say their crops have wilted, because the rains were below average this year. Governor of the Oshikoto Region Penda ya Ndakolo said measures need to be taken to ensure the process of distributing drought relief food to those in need continues this year. According to Ya Ndakolo there are early indications that over 90 percent of households will be affected severely by the current drought in the Oshikoto Region. This is in stark contrast to 45 percent of households, which were designated as the worst off last year as a result of the drought. The governor further said apart from the constituencies of Onyaanya, Okankolo and King Kauluma that received some rain recently, the rest of the region is very dry. “If it does not rain in the next two weeks the situation is likely to be worse than that of last year,” said Ya Ndakolo. He however advised communities in the region not to give up, but to continue cultivating their fields. “The rain is not in our hands it is in the hands of God, we cannot give up now. You never know when it can rain again. Our people have to however understand that crops don’t like to be weeded when it is hot, as they die easily. It is better to start cultivating early in the morning and stop as soon as the sun rises,” Ya Ndakolo offered.
The Ongwediva constituency is in a similar situation and many villagers have already given up cultivating their fields. “If you lit a match and toss it in my mahangu field, everything will burn,” said Regina Hamutenya from Omushehe. Hamutenya, an unemployed mother of six school-going children said her husband is employed as a secretary at a government school and is the sole breadwinner. “We are only asking for government to increase the maize bags that we receive, because they are not enough. Sometimes we receive two sometimes three bags but they are never enough,” said Hamutenya. Lavinia Hamayulu, also an unemployed mother of ten children said she fears the worst already, because at least 80 percent of her mahangu field is completely dry, and the prospects for any harvest are dwindling with each passing day. “Even if it rains those crops will never yield any harvest, because the plants are totally dry. We don’t know how we are going to survive this year. At least government meets us halfway by providing us with two or three bags of maize and two tins of fish, but in a house as full of people as mine, the food is not enough,” said Jason.
“Last week I even went to beg for maize meal from a lady on the other side of the village, because here we had nothing to eat. It is a desperate situation,” said Jason.
Ongwediva constituency councillor Vinia Abisai also confirmed the dire situation as a result of poor rainfall this year. He said his office is always open to families that are unable to live on the bags of maize that they receive from government on a monthly basis.
“I am well aware that some families in my constituency are very large and the three or two bags that they receive are not enough, that is why I advise my people to come to get acknowledgement letters from their headmen that prove that they are really struggling. If they come we give them more food and tins of fish and beans, we do not refuse food to people,” said Abisai.
According to him many crops in the constituency have wilted and farmers may not harvest anything even if it rains.
By Helvy Shaanika